Review: Vampire Origins for iPhone, a gothic horror survival

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The App Store is filled with tons of monster slashers, but there’s definitely a deficit of Nosferatu-themed games. In fact, premium vampire titles that tap the beast within us are rare on the iPhone, which is why I’ve been looking forward to Vampire Origins, an A+ vampire slayer that’s been over a year in the making. Finally available on the App Store, it promises to ignite your blood-thirsty senses like no other blood-sucking horror on a handheld.

Was it worth the wait? In short, yes – but there’s a price to pay for all its treats.

A combination of an isometric 3D shooter and a medieval adventure, Vampire Origins puts you in the shoes of a Van Helsing-type named Vincent. Being a vampire hunter, Vincent is pitted against the hordes of creatures that inhabit a beautifully depicted gothic environment.

A premium vampiric horror game

If you’ve played Resident Evil-themed games, you’ll feel right at home with Vampire Origins. You basically roam between pre-rendered rooms, battling monsters and discovering secret items. And how do you find hidden objects? Easy, tap and hold to use Vincent’s magic eye, basically a loupe that lets you scan the area to find invisible items.

You start out with a pistol with unlimited ammo. As you’re progressing through the game, you’ll discover a shotgun, silver rifle, and stake gun. I would have liked more than four weapons, though. Control options include tapping and an analogue stick. The latter is a norm for the games of this type, but it’s cumbersome during fast-paced action sequences. Tapping can be a more rewarding experience, although some gamers will no doubt prefer the stick.

MAGIC EYE Tap and hold to use a loupe that lets you discover hidden items.

Simply face towards the enemy to “lock” him, then tap to fire. Dodge by drawing a line on the screen. The game also packs in cinematic boss fights that basically require you to trace the blood droplets on the screen with your finger. I also enjoyed a dramatic storyline that’s gradually revealed in the cartoonish cut scenes.

Now on to the issues

Sadly, Vampire Origins isn’t without pitfalls. Camera angles need some work and boss fights could have definitely been more challenging and less scripted. More troubling than that, you only get three hours of story-driven gameplay, divided into three stages. True, die-hards can replay the game in order to unlock all the achievements (supported via Chillingo’s social gaming platform, Crystal) or try their luck in the survival mode, but I’ve found little incentive to replay Vampire Origins.

Also, I was having frame rate issues on the iPhone 3G and second-generation iPod touch. I at first justified the reduced performance with the high quality backdrops, but that’s an invalid excuse because those are pre-rendered scenes. Considering only the characters are rendered in real-time 3D, the performance issue grows into a real annoyance during frantic action sequences that have you fighting a bunch of monsters at the same time. On a brighter note, the game runs well on later hardware.

Conclusion: It’ll suck the blood out of your veins

Dracula games hardly get any better than Vampire Origins. Awesome gothic environment, a spooky soundtrack, pretty easy controls, and nerve-wrecking atmosphere should keep you glued to your device through the end. If it weren’t for the sluggish performance on older hardware, a few hours gameplay, and a steep price point, I’d recommend Vampire Origins in a heartbeat.

Vampire Origins for iPhone (cut scene 002)

Vampire Origins for iPhone (cut scene 003)

Vampire Origins for iPhone (parchment found)

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Vampire Origins for iPhone (magic eye 002)

Vampire Origins for iPhone (boss fight 001)

Vampire Origins for iPhone (boss fight 002)

Vampire Origins for iPhone (screenshot 001)

Vampire Origins for iPhone (screenshot 002)

Vampire Origins for iPhone (screenshot 003)

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That being said, if you’re a survival horror type who enjoys games like Devil May Cry, Moonlight, and Alone in the Dark – and you own the iPhone 3GS or third-generation iPod touch – consider having Vampire Origins on your shopping list. Unfortunately, there’s no lite version to let the folks on older hardware sample the game before buying.

Being a premium horror survival, Vampire Origins commands a premium price point, a $7 value. Here’s hoping that Chillingo will bring the price down. Is $7 a fair price to pay for a few hours of suspense? Your call. Vampire Origins is the 82MB download for the iPhone and iPod touch (requires iPhone OS 3.1.2 or higher).